Editor's note
This story was updated from an earlier version with corrected results.
Lightning delayed the meet’s start by a full hour and the final events didn’t wrap up until past 10 p.m. but Philomath High competed in the season-opening Mid Valley Dental Invitational Wednesday at Dallas.
The Warriors came away with five individual and two relay wins at the eight-school event. Team scoring was not kept, so there were no meet champions recognized.
PHS coach Joe Fulton said a lightning storm north of the meet site invoked an OSAA-required one-hour delay. Despite those conditions, the Warriors performed well against a field that included six 5A schools.
One of the meet’s highlights occurred with a Philomath athlete making her track and field debut and although it was not a victory, had one of the Warriors’ best-ever times in the 3,000-meter run. Sophomore Adele Beckstead, who added track to her spring sports commitments, finished third in the event with a time of 11:15, which ranks her 19th on the program’s all-time list.
The girls had three individual winners with senior Ingrid Hellesto in the 300 hurdles (50.58), junior Madison Schaffer in the pole vault (7 feet, 6 inches) and sophomore Anneka Steen in the triple jump (33-1). Shaffer actually tied for first place with a Crescent Valley athlete in the vault.
The 4-by-100 relay of junior Ellie Morton, sophomore Natalie Dunn, Ingrid Hellesto and sophomore Janice Hellesto won in 51.25 seconds.
Morton placed among the top six in three events with a tie for second in the high jump (4-8), third in the 100 (13.72) and sixth in the long jump (15-0). Janice Hellesto had a second-place finish in the 400 (1:03.34) and was third in the 200 (28.16). Freshman Aspen Russell was third in the triple jump (30-11) and tied for sixth in the pole vault (6-6).
Other individual top-six finishes for the PHS girls included freshman Ana Candanoza in the 800 (tie for third, 2:31.91), senior Madison Juhl in the pole vault (tie for third, 7-0), sophomore Ariana Boutilier in the 300 hurdles (fourth, 54.31), Steen in the long jump (tie for fourth, 15-1), sophomore Petra Hernandez in the 100 hurdles (fifth, 20.09), sophomore Madison Provance in the shot put (27-11), freshman Lucy King in the 800 (2:39.83) and sophomore Brooke McDaniel in the 3,000 (12:13). In addition, sophomore Melea Lattin placed fourth or fifth in the 1,500 (5:17) — the official results did not include that event.
The 4-by-400 relay team of sophomore Ariana Boutilier, Ingrid Hellesto, Dunn and Janice Hellesto placed second (4:21.12).
The boys had three winners in the meet — two individuals and a relay. Sophomore Warwick Bushnell won the 400 (52.28) and senior Seth Arthurs took the triple jump (39-2). The Warriors won the 4-by-400 relay with senior Ben Hernandez, senior Nixon Mooney, freshman CD Nuno and Warwick Bushnell (3:35.19). Bushnell passed Crescent Valley on the anchor leg for the victory.
Senior Micah Matthews placed all four of his events with second in the 300 hurdles (44.62), second in the high jump (tie for second, 5-10), third in the 110 hurdles (16.73) and third in the pole vault (11-0).
Nuno took third in the triple jump (36-10.25) and sixth in the long jump (19-0.25). In addition to his win in the 400, Warwick Bushnell also had a second-place finish in the 200 (24.19). Mooney placed second in the 400 (52.84).
Freshman Josiah Peters finished third in the javelin (139-0) and Hernandez was third in the 1,500 (4:16). Fourth-place finishes went to junior Simon King in the 800 (2:08.11), senior Seth Arthurs in the 300 hurdles (46.68) and the 4-by-100 relay of Mooney, Nuno, sophomore Preston Luscher and Warwick Bushnell (46.01).
Junior Lukas Dunn took fifth in the 800 (2:15.26) and freshman Leo Pausch was sixth in the 3,000 (9:41). In the 1,500 — which as previously mentioned was not included in the meet’s official results — senior Mateo Candanoza placed either fourth or fifth (4:18).
Philomath’s next meet is scheduled for April 1 at Marist Catholic in Eugene.
